Jennie Cummings-Knight

Gender and Religion Today

Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe: Modern Challenges

Profile

Jennie Cummings-Knight (MA, MBACP, PGCE, FHEA) is a psychotherapist working in a private Counselling Practice (www.goldenleafcounselling.com) and as an Associate Lecturer at the New School of Counselling and Psychotherapy in London (also known as the Existential Academy). In addition, Jennie runs a CPD group for Counsellors in Norwich where she writes and presents original workshops on a quarterly basis on a variety of topics.

Brought up in the Christian faith with an emphasis on the importance of our Jewish roots, Jennie spent 5 years living and working in Israel (1979-1984) and in Lebanon. She studied modern Hebrew during those years, which has led to a deeper level of study of the Bible (both Old and New Covenants). More recently in her Counselling work she has come to know Muslim students who have helped highlight the common ground that all three Monotheistic religions share. She has begun recently to study the Koran.

Two courses run by the Woolf Institute have been useful in furthering her knowledge in Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe: Modern Challenges (2019) and Gender and Religion Today (2021).

Jennie has a particular interest in Male Identity and in Patriarchal Societies, and is keen to undertake a research project at Doctoral Level in this field. She is closely involved with the Male Psychology Network and has contributed to their annual conferences on many occasions, at UCL.

This summer (2021) Jennie will be participating in an accredited course in Oxford entitled: Psychologically Informed Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution, and hopes to be able to use the skills gained within the field of Jewish/Christian/Muslim relations.

Publications

Book Chapter

Barry Seager et al (2019), The Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health, Palgrave Macmillan, UK, Chapter 13, "The Gaze", (the Male need to look vs the Female need to be seen, an Evolutionary Perspective)

Journal Publications & Media

Jennie has written journal articles for the following:

Therapy Today, BACP (2008 - present)

BACP online CPD HUB (July 2019)

Thresholds Magazine, BACP

The Hermeneutic Circular (2015, 2016)

Jennie is BACP Media Spokesperson and blog writer. She contributed to the following article:

"I'm grieving the loss of my parents and my youth" (The Guardian Online, 12.02.2016)

Conference Papers Presented, incorporating Research

(Abstract-Reviewed)

Cummings-Knight Jennie, The Existential Therapeutic Alliance using the Lord of the Rings Movie, (2015) London, First International Conference of the Existential Academy:  Lecture and Interactive Workshop

Cummings-Knight Jennie, Wild and Free or Tame and Domesticated? (based on Jack London’s book The Call of the Wild) (2015) Male Psychology Conference, London

Cummings-Knight Jennie, Risks, Rewards and Male Roles:  Society’s expectations (based on film "High Noon", Zinneman/Cooper 1952)(2016) Male Psychology Conference, London

Cummings-Knight Jennie, Shame and the Male, (based on Shogun, film 1980, book Clavell, 1975) Poster Presentation, (2018) Male Psychology Conference London,

Cummings-Knight Jennie, "Lost in Translation"(2019) Sight first, Feelings later: Evolutionary Patterns Played Out in Relationships: Male Psychology Conference, London

Other research

Woolf Institute JCME online course essay: 

Abraham as Patriarch:  implications for our times:  a theological journey across Monotheistic Religions, especially Judaism and Christianity, (2020)